Three generations of women fall prey to the ecstasy and danger of desire. Anna Berter is a teenager growing up in a privileged home in Iowa just before World War I. Anna's life is dominated by two women: her stern mother and her adoring Scottish housekeeper, "the Old One," who fills Anna's imagination with Celtic legends and songs. But Anna's years of idyllic innocence end with the arrival of Hailus Tucker, a houseguest who charms all the ladies and leaves one--the housekeeper's granddaughter, Edwina--pregnant. When Anna's family adopts the illegitimate child, Anna demands the truth about the child's father. Truth ultimately brings tragedy for Edwina and reveals long-kept secrets about Anna's own origins. The Old One's mythic visions help Anna discover herself and push her, breathless, into womanhood.